I officially arrived in Vienna almost two weeks ago! I have my WU Student Card and my semester train and bus pass, so I’m all set to go!

Overall, the general atmosphere of Austrian and Viennese culture has been mostly what I expected: formal yet welcoming. This is what I expected due to my background in German culture and knowing the long history between these countries. However, there are some key differences between the two. For example, punctuality is extremely important in both German and Austrian cultures, but the Viennese seem to be more laid back and forgiving if you are a little bit late, Whether or this is applicable to Austria as a whole is something I’ve yet to find out. However, I’ve learned that in a professional setting, when speaking to someone, you have to use all of their professional titles when addressing them. I saw a professor at WU who had six!

My neighborhood is extremely nice! It’s surprisingly quiet, despite an amusement park being a three-minute walk away and the train and streetcar station being about ten minutes away. The Danube is only twenty minutes away too! Everything is walkable too, so it’s easy to get around.

I also decided to visit WU’s campus and see where my classes would be. I was surprised by many things on campus, but the biggest thing was how small it was, especially compared to Pitt. Moreover, the campus was redone in 2011, so everything is new and comparatively modern.

Adjusting has been somewhat easy, as I know the language well-enough to get around and am familiar with the base culture, but I find myself getting caught up on smaller details. For example, despite being a very walkable city, all of the crosswalk lights are extremely fast, so it’s often that if you’re not at the crosswalk when it originally turns green, you will miss it. And with the windy, unpredictable roads (and the drivers fast), jaywalking is not an option. Even the locals don’t jaywalk at all – doing so is a sure sign that you’re a foreigner. Another thing is how most stores and shops close on Sundays – I already knew this in theory, but in practice, I have to make sure I have what I need for the day, especially when it comes to food.

Speaking of the food, the food has been consistently amazing. There’s plenty of bakeries nearby, where everything is fresh, a good size, and most importantly, cheap! In general, I’ve found that at most cafés and supermarkets, most things are cheaper than their US counterparts. They’re often healthier too (the EU bans many chemicals and preservatives found in our food), which is another major plus! Fresh food is considered to be the standard in all of Europe, so when people go out grocery shopping, they’ll often only buy food for the next few days, not for the entire week like America. I’ve found that this helps save money and food waste, so I’ll be trying this method out when I return!

My first class doesn’t begin until March 7th, so I don’t have much more to elaborate on about academic culture from my last posts. I do plan to be traveling and visiting some nearby cities and castles, which I’ll share in my next post! Until then!